Campaign tools
Plan the work before you start knocking doors
Practical guides for North Carolina candidates: voter data, walk lists, and vote goals. Free to read and linked to the State Board sources behind the guidance.
North Carolina voter file: how to use it for a local campaign
The State Board publishes voter registration and voter history files. Here is what each file can tell a campaign and how to turn them into a usable starting list.
- The registration file tells you who is registered and where they live. The voter history file records participation, not how anyone voted.
- Both files update weekly, but a statewide download still needs filtering before it helps a local campaign.
- Start with your race geography and a clear purpose for the list. Do not begin by downloading everything.
How to make a walk list for a North Carolina campaign
A walk list is a practical assignment for a volunteer, not a dump of every voter in your district. Build it around a clear goal, a small area, and a way to record what happened.
- Start with a small geographic area that a volunteer can finish, not the full district.
- Choose voters based on the purpose of the shift, then put the addresses in a practical walking order.
- Give the volunteer a short script and one clear way to record each conversation.
How many votes do you need to win a local election?
A useful vote goal starts with expected turnout in your race, then accounts for the kind of seat you are running for. It is a plan for your campaign, not a prediction.
- The answer depends on who can vote in your race, how many people are likely to vote, and how many seats are being filled.
- A countywide race, district race, and multi-seat at-large contest do not use the same target.
- Use a vote goal to plan outreach and fundraising. Revisit it when the field, turnout information, or your campaign plan changes.